Stay by My Side
by AkabaneKazama
Summary: When her husband left her, she swore not to love anyone again. But her resolve crumble apart when she met a certain young man/AU, multi-chap. CHAPTER 10 UP!
1. PROLOGUE

**STAY BY MY SIDE**

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**Disclaimer** : You already know it's not mine T_T

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**Genre (s)** : Suspense and Romance

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**Warning** : **AU**, **typo**, **many grammar mistake** 'cause tenses are not really my ability. Sorry.

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**DON'T LIKE DON'T READ**

If you want to flame it, go ahead.

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_When he left me, my heart shattered into piece_

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The wind blew past her, stroking her soft skin and tousled her straight blondie hair. Thousands of stars scattered across the night sky. Some sort of nocturnal insect let out their voice to enliven the silent atmosphere in this peacefull village. Just like many other nights that she experienced before—

"Huwaaa!"

—or not. First she had to stop the disruptive crying that was coming from this baby boy, otherwise the neighbours would become angry.

In the balcony of the concrete house sat the young mother with her baby in her arms. Although the hand of clock told her that it's already midnight, She was still lingering in the cold night . She didn't know what had caused her baby to be this restless, crying out loudly since the afternoon, past sunset and he was still crying at this very moment. She had already used every method to calm her baby down, she had talked to him, read him a fairy-tale book, watched television and she had even sung his favourite lullaby. She had tried just about everything and yet nothing seemed to have worked. Her face looked very tired already. But her child was still crying. So, after a minute, she decided to take a walk around the village. She hoped that the night breeze would calm him down and make him drowsy

Her hometown sure looked creepy at night. It was located in a remote place, surrounded by a large forest of trees. Not so many people inhabited this village. They would rather live in the city surrounded by polluted air than in the village with its fresh air and its beautiful display of nature—they say that it's easy to find a job in the city. She can't do that. She can't leave this village even if she desired to do so. She has her baby and she has so many memories with _him_ in this village that she didn't want to forget

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_I don't want to experience that feeling again. It hurt so much that I thought I would've died._

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"Look like he asleep already." She let out a long, deep sigh when her baby finally felt asleep. His peacefull face—depict his ignorant of this cruel world—really calmed her down. And her smile always appeared because of it, no matter how tired she is, "well, time to go home."

Or—again—that was her plan.

"Ugh..."

Until she heard groaning in this silent night.

She stopped her track. _What is that voice,_ she thought. There was no way people will woke up at this late hour. In a busy city, maybe. But this is just a plain village. There was nothing beautiful things in here, despite of it's peacefullness. _Curiousity kill the cat._ She turned around and walked slowly to the source of the voice—it came from the alley, not so far from her standing place. When she arrived at the scene, she saw it.

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_But when I tried to closed my heart, you came._

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In that dark alley, laid a young brunette man on the street, unconscious and motionless. He surrounded by trash, stray cat, and small pool of red liquids. Or you could said; blood.

His own blood.

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_And bring the light to my small, dull world._

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*****TBC*****

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**(A/N)**

Well...this is my very first english fanfiction. So, if you found (many) grammar mistake, please do tell me.

I really looove OgaHilda pairing! 3 When I think about it, Oga is a clueless man and Hida is a _tsundere _girl, just like ReijiAyla (Gundam Build Fighter), my OTP!

This is just a prologue. If you want to know more, I'll be glad to continue this story.

_Don't forget to leave your review_

**Best regards**

**Akabane Kazama**


	2. Who are you? Who am I?

**STAY BY MY SIDE**

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**Disclaimer** : I told u already. It's not mine T_T

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**Genre (s)** : Suspense and Romance

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**Warning** : Just like before

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**A/N** : First of all, thank you very much for your review, **cos I like it**! Those were really helpful. I didn't realize that I done so many mistake before you showed it to me. Thanks again. Well, enjoy yourself for chapter 1! \(^_^)/

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**DON'T LIKE DON'T READ**

If you want to flame it, go ahead.

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TOK TOK,

A sound of knocking door came to her ear.

"Coming."

She turned off the stove and untied her apron before heading toward the front door, welcoming her guest. It was still seven o'clock in the morning, but she knew right away who would visit her resident so early in the morning. When the door swung open, a big man wearing a white shirt and short pants, with weird looking hairstyle and black moustache which covered half of his face appeared in front of her. He held a red lunch box in his hand—she can smell a delicious scent from it, "hello, Alaindelon."

"Hi, Hilda-san. Such a nice weather today, isn't it?" His curly moustache lifted up as he showed his most sincere smile and gave the lunch box to the beautiful mother, "today I cooked sweat _tamagoyaki_ for you and Beel-chan. Hope you'll like it."

"Thank you, Alaindelon." She showed her gratitude when she accepted the box with smile plastered on her face, "but, really. You don't have to trouble yourself with making meals for us everyday. You have your own life to be care about."

"It's okay, Hilda-san. I do it because I want to. By the way..." he tilted his head, gave him a better view inside the woman's house, "how about him? Did anything happened?"

In her futon, was an unconscious young brunette man that she accidentally met yesterday night. His hand and body wrapped in a white bandage. There's a wet towel on top of his forehead and a bucket of ice was beside him. His light snoring enveloped the-not-small-but-not-that-big room, "he's still not awake. But his condition is more stable than it was yesterday."

He sighed in relief, "you know, Hilda-san. You really startled me when you came in the late last night to my house with a terrified look on your face. I thought something was wrong with Beel-chan. Well...you could still say that _this_ is also a bad situation." He then turned toward her, now with uncertainty and worry, "are you sure you want to take care of someone that you barely know? He's not from around here, right?"

She glanced at _that man's _clothes that she hung in the corner of her house; a black coat, a black tie, white shirt and black trousers. When you saw it, you really can tell that he was not her typical neighbour. Is he a rich person? She watched silently as her baby started walking toward him. He pinched his cheeks and pulled his hair. _No way_, she shook her head. _There was no way a 'dirty man' like him was an important person_.

"It's okay, Alaindelon. When I found him that night, he already became my responsibility. But, thank you for your concern." She bowed deeply to the man—and got a bow from him as a response also—then went inside the house.

She sat beside her guest before picking up her baby—who was now playing around on the man's bruised body—held him around her bosom and gave him a bottle of warm milk for his breakfast. She stared at the sleeping figure in front of her. His sleeping face looked so peaceful, despite that he was at the brink of death yesterday night. With her free hand, she took the towel, soaked it in the bucket of ice and placed it again on his forehead.

Suddenly, he slowly opened his eyes.

She startled a bit when his eyelids lifted up, showing her his black orbs. Then a couple of second after that, she directly backed away as she realized that their faces were so close to each other and a light pink blush appeared in her white cheeks, "well, you finally awake."

The man glanced around everywhere, trying to recognized his surroundings before stopped his gaze on the young mother beside him. She put the baby down, stood up, then walked toward the kitchen. Putting the lunch box that Alaindelon had given to the woman on the table and with her back to him, she struke up a small conversation, "you slept for an entire day, so I'm kind of worried. But it's okay now. You can continue to sleep if you still feel dizzy."

With a small groan escaped from his pale mouth, he tried to sit down, peering at the back of the blonde woman who was preparing a breakfast right now. With a trembling, low voice, he said, "where...am I?"

"This is my house. I found you injured badly on the alley last night. So I brought you here." She arranged some of the plate on the dining table.

"Who...are you?"

"My name's Hildegarde. But you can call me Hilda. That's my baby. His name's Beelze." The man looked toward the baby from the corner of his eyes—he's still drinking his milk near the futon. The mother was still preparing the dining table; now putting the spoons, forks and two mug of warm chocolate, "how about you? What's your name?"

Then a suffocating silence fell between those two people—except the baby rambling about something that they didn't know about. Just 'aih', 'dabuu', or 'auu'. The man scratched his cheek slightly, "I...don't know."

And that got the woman's attention, as she suddenly turned towards the man, her green orbs boring into the black, lifeless orbs. Somehow, she can feel sadness in those small, slanted eyes, "who...am I?"

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"_I...can't remember anything._"

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*****TBC*****

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**(A/N)**

Okay. Tell me the grammar mistakes for this time also.

_Don't forget to leave your review_

**Best regards**

**Akabane Kazama**


	3. His name's Oga Tatsumi

**STAY BY MY SIDE**

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**Disclaimer** : 'Told u already

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**Genre (s)** : Suspense and Romance

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**Warning** : Just like before

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**A/N** : Today thanks goes to **Alatum Laminis**!. Thank you very much for your helpful review in the last chapter. I'm more than happy when you told me about my grammar mistakes. You know, Actually I just rely on my Indonesian-English dictionary app in my handphone when I write this fanfic. So you don't have to worry whether I will get mad or not for your review. I want you to tell me again where are my mistakes, as I'm a student that still learning about everything's new to me.

This story set in AU world. So, you will realize that the character in here become more OOC than it in actual story. I hope you will bear with it. :v

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**DON'T LIKE DON'T READ**

If you want to flame it, go ahead.

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The young brunette man blinked several times, staring with an absent-minded look, as he tried to comprehend the situation at the moment. He sat in the middle of a dining table with people that he barely knew; a blonde woman with a green-haired baby under her bosom, an old man with A strange haircut and moustache covering half his face, and a young pink-haired girl with height comparable to that of an elementary school student —wearing a white long lab coat that reached to her knees. (For a moment, he thought that the girl was just a cosplayer or something like that). After a couple of minutes of staring in disbelief, he parted his lips in two and asked a question that was stuck in his throat, "Oi, Hilda. Who are they?" he pointed his chopsticks to the two early guests, "Especially the kid."

"I'm not a kid, you doofus! I'm already thirteen years old!"

"The girl's name is Lamia. She is a doctor that will check on your condition. And the man's name is Alaindelon. He is my neighbour and the one who saved you last night," she said, still focused on the baby who was drinking his milk in delight, recognizing the familiar faces in their house.

"She's a doctor?! This kid?!" he didn't mind the old man's presence, because he was the one who made and brought their meals everyday—Hilda just told him about it this morning—but seriously? A little girl, working as a doctor? How screwed up was this world! He ignored the pink haired girl's 'I told you, I'm not a kid!' scream as he turned to face with the young mother, "And here I thought _you_ were the one who saved me."

"Well, _I am_. But he was the one who treated your wound." She wiped the spilled milk on the baby's face and on the table, then ruffled the green hair slightly. "Do you think I would dirty my hand for a sewer-rat like you?

"S-Sewer-rat?!"

He could see a slight smile in those white cheeks. "I found you near the garbage can, surrounded by stray cats like a rat. It's just obvious for calling you with that nickname, right?"

Lamia burst out in laughter, Alaindelon tried to hold his snicker, and the man's face turned bright red because of embarrassment and anger. He gritted his teeth and clicked his tounge, "You blondie bitch!"

Hilda covered her baby's ears with her palms and scowled. "Hey, watch your mouth! You'll be a bad influence on my baby, fool!" She arrogantly stared at the man who gave off a 'you too, bitch!' expression. "And this is your way of thanking a person who saved your life? Oh, well, _you're welcome_!" Her voice was full of sarcasm.

"I didn't ask you to save me." He muttered under his breath, much to Hilda's dismay.

Lamia coughed up to get their attention, "Well...look like his amnesia was not that bad. He still remembers how to wear his clothes and hold chopsticks," She took out a small notebook with the same colour as her hair, scribbled for a bit, then continued to talk, holding her white pen in midair, "I suggest you try to recall your name already. You don't want to be called—" snicker, "—sewer-rat, right?"

"What about 'Ogre'? He looks like one."

"Nu-uh! Fuck no! I don't want!" he cursed at the top of his lungs and Hilda covered her baby's ears again before that dirty languange eternally got stuck in her dear baby's brain.

Ignoring the ongoing bickering, Alaindelon stood up and walked to the man's clothes that hung in the corner of the living room. He scrambled every pocket in the black coat, searching for something. Before finally, he found a white name tag with small letters on it. He returned to the dining room—the argument was still going, with Lamia jumping around trying to get the small notebook that the man snatched from her. He smiled a devilish smile, "Hilda-san, I found it."

"Found what?" the latter who didn't care for their foolishness look up to the souce of the voice. Alaindelon's figure reflected on those shiny green orbs.

"His name." And that got their attention, as the commotion stopped. Even the baby stayed quiet. Alaindelon spelled the word, clearly and slowly, "His name's...Oga—"

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"_Oga Tatsumi"_

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"Well...it doesn't sound too different from 'Ogre'."

"_Oh, shut up, whore!_"

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In a corner of a street, stood a ten-meter building; its main foundation color was silver, and large trees surrounded its eight floors. The one who built this building really wanted to conceal it as much as possible. A girl with minimal clothing wrapped around her bombshell body and a man with long, messy black hair vigorously walked through the empty first floor hallway, quickly reaching the stairs that led to the basement.

"Are you sure you want to interrogate him again?" the man asked, "You know that he's famous for his stubbornness?"

"Well...who knows?" she laughed, "Maybe he will change his mind? He's also famous for his perverted attitude around sexy women, right?"

They stopped at a large, dirty door located in the corner of the basement. It smelled awful, like someone took a dump in it. There was no way someone could stay in this place for more than five to ten minutes, except for someone who was forced to. As they opened the door—it let out a deafening creak—a young man sat in a wooden chair in the middle of the room, with his arms and legs tied onto the chair's back behind him. A trail of dried blood was at the corner of his mouth, and his face was full of bruises.

"Hello, Furu-chan! What's your condition?" the girl started the conversation with courtesy.

But the white haired man knew her intention as his eyes peered from between his bangs, gave a sharp glare to them, "I will never say anything to you even if you threatened to kill me." He let out a small snicker as he said, "Well...are you daring enough to kill me at all?"

_DUAAAK_

And the next thing he knew, he felt pain all over his head when the messy-haired man swung his leg at him. He gritted his teeth, struggling to control his irritation at the man's answer. "Don't underestimate Behemoth's 34 pillar division, you brat!" he hissed, "You don't know a thing about us!"

"_Maa_..._maa_...Hec-chan. Don't be rude to our guest." The girl approached the pained young man who wheezed and tried to catch his breath. She leaned against him to whisper something into his ear with a seductive but threatening voice, "Don't worry, Furu-chan. Even if you don't want to spill it, we will be able to locate his whereabouts."

She straightened up, walked out of the room with the messy-haired man and waved her hand, giving a signal that they would come back for another interrogation, "pray for us to find_ him_ soon!"

And the door closed.

The white haired man leaned on his back toward the chair, as his orbs drifted around the dark place, "I hope you stayed alive—"

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"—_Oga"_

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*****TBC*****

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**(A/N)**

Just like before. Tell me the grammar mistakes, please.

_Don't forget to leave your review_

**Best regards**

**Akabane Kazama**


	4. Just let me do the 'husband' role

**STAY BY MY SIDE**

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**Disclaimer** : Yeah...right.

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**Genre (s)** : Suspense and Romance

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**Warning** : Just like before

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**A/N** : Sorry for the late update. I have this...what do you call it? Writer block? Yeah, that. I know what I want to write, but when I tried to change it into English, I just can't do it. Maybe because I have another fanfic to write or another story that popped up inside my head (I got this interesting dream and I don't want to let it stop just like that!). AND I REALLY WANT TO WRITE TONARI NO SEKI-KUN'S FANFIC, DAMN IT!

Today thanks goes to **Alatum Laminis**! (Again :D ). Sorry for the bad tenses. I still remember that day clearly when I got 45 for my English test. Ahahaha \(-_-")/. Oh well, please enjoy this chapter.

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**DON'T LIKE DON'T READ**

If you want to flame it, go ahead.

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"An intruder!"

"Don't let him go further!"

"Catch him!"

"KILL HIM!"

The quiet, peaceful hallway turned into utter chaos when a deafening sound of the bell rang inside the building. Everyone scattered—not just the guards, but also the one who was woken up from his deep slumber—to the center of the commotion. It was a man, with a nicely built body and his spiky light brown hair, wearing a pair of black gloves adorned with iron thorns. People with black suit surrounded him, like cats cornering their prey. But the man didn't feel like the cornered one as he showed the grunts his devilish smile , "C'mon, ya mongrels. 's this the true power of a Behemoth's 34 pillars? Heh! I'm disappointed with ya."

He tried (and succeeded) to provocated them with his taunts. Just a simple, plain provocation, and they rushed at him with murderous intent. The latter just widened his grin and brought his knuckles to his face, as he also rushed forward and tried to enjoy this little fight for as long as he could.

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"What the hell are those puny guards doing? How could an intruder just barge into our headquarters like that?!"

"It's okay, Hec-chan. We can handle this, right?" The girl tried to calm the messy haired man down as their legs brought them further to the lowest floor, rushing towards the basement. While her tone full of teasing, her face was the opposite. How could they stay calm when their HQ—their supposedly secure, trap-filledHQ—was going haywire just because of _one man_? Well, he probably wasn't just an ordinary man if he could sneak this far into the building without anyone noticing.

While they busied themselves trying to guess the identity of the bastard who disturbed their peaceful night, a small boy with light blue hair suddenly appeared in front of them, with tattered clothes and a trail of blood could be seen on his pale face, "This is bad, Hecadoth-san...Agiel-san..." He talked very slowly, didn't seem to mind to recover his panting before talking.

"Oh, Naga-chan. Fancy meeting you here!" That was just a courtesy, as she placed her hands on his small shoulders, trying to ease his anxiety in this perilous situation. With a serious look still plastered all over her face, she asked, "Can you tell us what this 'bad' situation is, _ne_?"

Still huffing and puffing, he scowled and his face contorted—_look like Hec-chan_, the girl though—and he parted his dry lips, spoke the words that stucked in his throat, "The prisoner..."

He didn't have to finish his talk, as his comradeseyes widened in realization and rushed past him to the big door that loomed in front of them. The man kicked the door down with a _bang_!, hard enough to crack the wall behind the door. They looked around the vast, dark room, hoping to find the white haired man that still tied to the wooden chair like he always was when they came to interrogated him.

But they found nothing.

"Shit!" The man cursed under his breath and he turned right away before he can felt a small tug in the hem of his shirt, "What?" He shouted to the person who dared to stop him, and he realized that the girl was staring at him with a strange grin in her puffed cheeks.

"You don't have to run after him, Hec-chan." And she continued before the man could cut her words off, still with that weird-looking smile, "I have a plan."

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In the dark, thick forest, many animals scattered around everywhere, tried to avoid the man's vigorous step. His long brown hair swayed to the right and left as he run across the forest, holding a small boy with this face full of bruises in his back.

"Thanks, Natsume. I owed you one." Said the boy, as he have to balanced his body if he didn't want to fall. A gust of wind strocked his face and he shivered a bit from the coldness of the spring. The white haired man tried to stay awake and he peered behind his savior's head with one eyes covered by his bangs, "But...Tojo was still inside the building." He just couldn't leave his friend in an enemy's nest like that.

The man let out a small chuckle, "You don't have to worry, Furu-chan. You don't mean that you were underestimated his strength, right?" He can heard a small 'of course not!' murmur from the frailed boy. He ducked from the tree branch and turned to the right after he stop for a while, "I already told him to retreat if the situation turned worst."

Yeah. Even if he's an idiot like _him_, he know how to back off when the time was right, "How about Kunieda? Himekawa and Kanzaki?"

"I can't find Kunieda anywhere after our _last fight_. As for Himekawa and Kanzaki..."

He turned silent right away. A rustling of leaves and the sound of the man's footstep on falling leaves or a broken branch enveloped those two person with the white haired man stared in disbelieved. He didn't have to know the rest as he can guess what happened to the other, "I see..."

"I'm sorry. I can't protect them." He bit his lower lip, tried to muffle his quivered voice.

The boy shake his head lightly, "It's okay, Natsume. They already know the consequence when they agreed to betrayed the Behemoth's 34 pillars division. I believe that they were satisfied enough." He closed his eyes and clasped his hands, prayed in silent for his two ex-friends lost. He have to swallowed his urge to cry right now if he want to survived in this cruel world. A strong man didn't shed his tear for the lost of his friends in front of everyone, or they will thought that you were a weak person. That was what _he_ said before this disaster happen.

"So...about Oga-chan." The man stroke another conversation, of course he want to change the sensitive topic before the boy heart turned more fragile. A small smile played in those _sun-kissed_ face when he told him the information that he was really hard to get, "I finally found him."

* * *

"What the—Hilda! This is not a food!"

And a small bickering could be heard in that simple house belong to a young mother and her baby—with addition of a brunette man stayed along with them for a while.

"What do you mean by that?"

"What do I mean is what do I said!" He shouted, in a confusing sentence that Hilda's brow had to join together. Oga pointed his index finger to the..._something_ in front of him, showed her his disgusted look, "What is this? Do you want to kill me?!"

On top of the dining table, there's laid so many choices of breakfast—or should he said, a supposed-breakfast? It looks teribble, no matter how you saw it. She said that she cooked a sunny-side eggs with vegetables, but what he saw is a lump of black charcoal (suddenly he remember an anime that he just watch yesterday in Hilda's television. The sister have this 'magic hand' as she can turned her cooking into charcoal, even when she made a sushi. What was the anime's title again? Kintama? A golden ball?!). The croquette have this disgusting smell that made his nose twitch. And what the hell?! It let out a purple steam and some of them popped up like bubbles. He believe it wasn't just his imagination because the baby also gave him an 'eeuww' expression on his face and turned to continue drinking his milk, pretending that he didn't saw anything.

Hilda's beautiful face scowled and she have her hand wraped around under her bossom, "How rude! Alaindelon can't come today 'cause he have another job to do, so I made this food for you. You should be gratefull!"

"Yeah! Like hell I would! If you can't cook anything, don't do it! Ask your husband to teach you or something like tha...ah." He stopped midway as he just realized something. Then Oga cursed himself inwardly when the young blonde mother's face turned solemn and the glint of sadness replaced the arrogant look in those green orbs. He scratched his nape, stood up from his chair and walked up to the kitchen. He can sensed Hilda's stare from his back, but he just ignored it as he grab a knive and a spatula, also some of the ingredient in the refrigerator before he occupy himself with whatever it is. After a while, Oga was back with plates in each of his hands.

"Here." He put aside her cooking and brought her another one. It was just a simple rolled-egg, fried rice and salad, but the fragrant smell made her drool succesfully. Did he make this? She took a bite from it, stop for a bit to savouring the delicious taste inside her mouth. A nice smile that look suited with her beautiful face appear on her white cheeks and Oga stared at her intently before he fetch his own chopstick and started eating.

After a couple of minutes they were eating in silent, the brunette choose to broke the awkward situation first, "You know...I can cook for you and your baby. Just think that this is my way to thanked your hospitality toward a stranger like me." He said the last part in a whispered tone, so Hilda have to leaned forward if she wanted to heard it clearly.

She cuckle a bit and said, as he brought another bite of rolled-egg inside her mouth, "Well...I look forward to it."

And then, they resumed their breakfast without saying anything anymore.

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*****TBC*****

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**(A/N) :**

Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. About Himekawa and Kanzaki... yeah, they are dead. I just put their names in this chapter 'cause I feel bad for them. You will find that there will be so many death character in the continuation of this story. I hope you will bear with it :v

Correct me just like always, _ne_?

_Don't forget to leave your review_

**Best regards**

**Akabane Kazama**


	5. Found you

**STAY BY MY SIDE**

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**Disclaimer** : Meh!

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**Genre (s)** : Suspense and Romance

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**Warning** : Just like before

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**A/N** : Hello, guys! Sorry for the late update. I have mock exam from Thursday 25nd 'till Wednesday 1st in my school so my parents prohibited me to use my laptop for at least one week. I have to study more 'cause I'm already in the third grade. And my suffering still continue tomorrow onward!

You are really a great help for me,** Alatum Laminis**. If you are starting to feel tired of my grammar mistakes, tell me 'kay? I don't want to troubled anyone actually, especially from someone that I barely know.

Oh, right. For the new reader, I want to tell you that you will find so many grammar mistake in my story before someone's beta it. I don't understand how betas thingy in fanfiction site work, so I just publish my story without double check. Well... I tried to correct my grammar as much as I can, but English is not my native languange, so you'll find my mistake right away. Enjoy this chapter

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**DON'T LIKE DON'T READ**

If you want to flame it, go ahead.

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Mysterious.

That was what she thought about him at the first time they met.

Oga, offering to help her do housework, heated the oil on a frying pan and prepared the ingredients. The sound of a knife cutting vegetables echoed in every corner of the kitchen. He refused Hilda's help with an 'I don't wanna die yet, y'know' expression on his face. So right now, Hilda was sitting in the middle of the living room, taking care of her baby while the brunette prepared breakfast for them. Hilda didn't care about crap like 'returning a favor' or something along the lines of it. If he wanted to help her so badly, so be it. And for allowing him to help in the kitchen, she now knows what she wants to know about the young man.

Their house was located slightly away from the neighborhood and their backyard faced the forest. Alaindelon would help Hilda pick some fruits, herbs, and on occasion also help hunt deer or rabbit for their meals. So, it wasn't uncommon for her to see someone hunting behind her house because it helped save some time as opposed to going to the mini market fifteen minutes away to reached. And if Oga decided to join, then so be it.

But Hilda couldn't shake _that_ weird feeling when she saw him hunting.

"Oi Hilda, I'll go to the forest! Don't touch anything in the kitchen, heard that?" he said, reaching the back door after he turned off the stove.

"Yeah, yeah..." she focused her attention to the green haired baby in front of her, playing some dolls and blocks with him. But, before he was gone from her peripheral vision, she turned her gaze toward Oga—or rather, toward the knife that he held in his hand.

At first, Hilda tried to ignore the fact that he just used a knife as he went hunting. But when she thought about it again, how could he kill a deer—a grown up deer to be exact—with just a single knife? And judging by the wound on the deer that he brought yesterday, it died in one attack, exactly on the deer's head. _Don't tell me he threw that knife to kill it? _That was what she thought.

But it was just impossible for an ordinary person to do that, especially for someone who just lost his memories not so long ago. One would've to train for several years to master something difficult like knife-throwing. Even the police missed their target sometimes due to their lack of training. Or was it possible that he was already used to doing _that_ everyday so his body remembered it, rather than his head? (_Well, he doesn't have any brain in the first place_. She added)

_Who is he, exactly?_

* * *

"That damn bitch. I told her not to touch anything!" he cursed loudly as he scratched his nape in depression. When Oga returned from hunting and brought another deer with him, the first sight he saw was some burned roll eggs, burned meat, burned vegetables, burned fried rice, all of the breakfast that he prepared was burned! Damn her and her dark matter. How could she have that 'magic hand' like that girl in Kintama's show? Did Hilda learn how to cook in that messed up program, with her cooking as an example?

Now he had to go all the way to the market to stock up on vegetables and eggs. It annoyed him when someone bossed him around, especially _that woman_. He could ask Alaindelon to pick some herbs in the forest but that old man wasn't in his house today and Oga didn't know a thing about herbs—hell, he lost his memories, got it? But he had to bear with the fact that he knew nothing about himself, his house or his family.

And also there was his _skill._

He knew that Hilda was also suspicious about it, how could he hunt some animals down with just a mere knife. He didn't know how to explain it well either. As soon as he spotted a deer out of the corner of his eyes, he threw the knife as easily as human breathed. At first, he thought maybe he was just lucky. Then he realized that it happened not just once, but twice, three times, four, every time he went hunting! It made him wonder about his identity now; not that he didn't care about it in the first place. And that kid told him to regain his memories little by little, right? So, Oga just went with the flow of his life slowly.

"What are you doing here, ogre?"

_Speak of the devil_.

His shoulder slumped more than it should have as he turned around to see aforementioned kid in a pink shirt beneath her white lab coat and a shopping bag in her left hand, "What? I can't go to the mini market too? You already forbid me when I went hunting in the forest yesterday."

She pouted as she walked faster, trying to follow Oga's steps, "Can you answer my question seriously? I was just worried about my patient, you know. Hilda- nee was scary when she gets mad."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I'm not in the mood for talking today, that's all." He sighed, ruffled her pink hair with his big hand. Lamia pouted again; she didn't like it when someone treated her like a kid.

When they arrived at the mini market, they grabbed any ingredients that necessary for their meals; some vegetables, egg, spices, and kitchen utensils—Hilda broke some when she tried to cooked yesterday. Lamia helped him choose good quality vegetables because Oga just picked whatever looked good to him. Some bickering here and there, but they managed to complied and went to the cashier to pay for their shopping.

"I will stay at your house today." Lamia said, crumpling her shopping list paper and putting it in her coat's pocket before turning her gaze toward the shocked man. He looked like he wanted to protest, but she stopped him with a jab on his chest, "This is for the sake of your conditions, bear with it!"

"And Hilda-nee said that your cooking is great. I want to taste it." She muttered under her breath, turning her face away so Oga couldn't see her cheeks get red. He sure didn't she her blush, but he caught what she said clearly, and a large grin grew on his _sun-kissed_ face.

"Hee...y'want to taste my cooking, huh? You came with the 'for my patient's condition' excuse so that you could stay at our house, huh? Huuh? Just be honest with yourself, y'know. I'm not mad"

And he got a kick on his crotch.

.

"Damn! Women sure are scary..." Oga cursed again as he tried to walked normally with his hand covering man's most important organ. His face was still pale because of her ultimate kick and beads running down his cheeks.

"Hmph! You deserve it, stupid!" she warped her hands around her body, stomping around the street like a kid, still with her flustered face.

Today's sunset sure look pretty; the cloudless sky was bathed in orange and red, one could see some birds flying around and chirping beautifully as they returned to their homes. The wind blew slightly, stroking their skin. It was a peaceful day, until Oga sensed a malicious aura near them.

Without thinking twice about it, he grabbed Lamia wrist and pulled her back, ignoring her protest. As he looked around wildly, a shadow flew past his black orbs and a loud crash echoed around him.

BRAAAAK

They stopped their bickering as they began to closely watch the man who fell into a pile of box. He had shoulder-length brown hair, bruises all over his face and they saw a trail of blood in the corner of his forehead The man tried to stand up, but stopped eventually as he noticed the spectators and set his widening eyes on Oga.

"Natsume, are you okay?!"

Another man showed up around the corner, approaching them. He had white hair, a thin body and bruises that looked more severe than Natsume's—the said brown haired man. He knelt down in front of the first man, trying to ascertain his condition, before shaking his head and turning to look at the spectators with a stern look. Like his friend, his eyes widened as he saw Oga as he spoke an unfinished words, "Y-You..."

"Oga—"

"Huh?"

"Well...well...what a surprise"

While they were still shocked by the events of the last few seconds, another stranger walked slowly from the back of an alley toward the spotlight; a man with purple lips, wore a weird looking hat and thick makeup. His steps, followed by an eerie laughter, echoed all over the narrow alley. Is it just him, or did the man look like...a clown? A devilish smirk showed in that overly white face as he narrowed his eyes and said, "I finally found you..."

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"_Oga-chan__"_

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*****TBC*****

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**(A/N) :**

Sorry for the short chapter. Right, the mystery will begin in the next chapter \(^_^)/

Correct my mistakes, please.

_Don't forget to leave your review_

**Best regards**

**Akabane Kazama**


	6. You—WHAT?

**STAY BY MY SIDE**

.

**Disclaimer** : You know who is it, right?

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**Genre (s)** : Suspense and Romance

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**Warning** : Just like before

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**A/N** : Sorry for the late update, guys. I got hooked up with writing Seki-kun and Haikyuu fanfic, so yeah. My exam's score was so bad, I just got three pass score and the other seven was a failure (Oh well, I'm already used to it :v )

My thanks always goes to **Alatum Laminis**. Is it really true that my previous chapter was my longest chapter in this story? Enjoy this chapter, guys.

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**DON'T LIKE DON'T READ**

If you want to flame it, go ahead.

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.

Today was surely was not his day.

First, Hilda forced him to go shopping for the daily necessities in the market because something she did—he told her not to touch anything, _damn it!_ Second, he got scolded by Lamia because of his insensitivity toward her. Third, he got a kick on his crotch. And now, some stranger suddenly showed up and calling him by name, barking loudly like a crazy dog. Judging by this hideous tension that probably wouldn't disappear anytime soon, Oga was sure that he'd will be late. And Hilda would yell at him because she hadn't had anything to eat this morning.

"Looks like Ru-chan was right." The clown was the first one who broke the tension (seriously, a clown? What was a clown doing in a small village like this? Was there a child's birthday party around here? Even if there was, the children would surely get scared by that makeup), "I just had to followed the transmitter attached on Furuichi's clothes and voila! I found you." He smirked at the sight of Furuichi—the white haired man—frantically searching for something on his clothes. He growled loudly when he found a small red pin underneath his collar and crushed it onto the ground with his black leather shoes.

"So, Oga-chan. What are you doing here? And who is that kid?" Lamia flinched when those blank eyes bored into hers. Usually, she would retort with an 'I'm not a kid' phrase, but that man was just so scary, she hid behind Oga's back, "This is not your place, Oga-chan. You do not belong here."

As he suspected, these three really knew him. Maybe they were Oga's friends in his past life? The brunette scratched his nape before sighing uncomfortably, "I'm sorry, but I don't know you." And just as he expected, he got a suprised look as his answer.

"U-um...Oga has amnesia." Lamia gathered all of her courage and tried to explain the situation, despite her quivering voice. She still hid behind Oga, and her hand clenched the man's shirt tightly, "Hilda-nee found him unconscious in the back of an alley a week ago. So, right now he staying at her house. Ah...you don't know who Hilda-nee is, right? Hilda-nee is an amazing mother. She live with her baby named Belze and..."

Oga shook his head desperately when Lamia's rambling went of topic, "Well, now ya have it. I can't remember anything about my friends, or myself. Sorry, guys."

A heavy silence filled the already tense situation. The clown brought his hand to his chin, thought for a while before an imaginary bulb appeared on top of his head. He laughed weirdly and stoically before bowing ninety degress with his left hand over his chest, "Fufufu...then let me introduce myself. My name Quetzalcoatl, at your service. Nice to meet you, Oga-chan."

"Que...Que _what_?"

"Then Quetty it is." He ignored the comical expression Quetzalcoatl had, a light snickers from Furuichi and Natsume—if he remembered correctly—and Lamia's kick as she tried to hold down his laughter, but failed miserably. (Yeah...sorry for his stupidity. His name is just too hard for Oga's little brain to remember). Oga squinted his eyes when he felt the malicious aura grew stronger. He put down his shopping bags and prepared his stance unconsciously, "So...Quetty. Could ya please let us through? 'Hilda-nee' is waiting for us."

"Whoa, whoa Oga-chan. Why such in a rush?" Quetzalcoatl said, finally woke up from his reverie. Sure he sweat-dropped when Oga gave him a...unique nickname, but he tried to ignored it. He didn't like to 'beat around the bush', so he wenr straight to the point, "Oga-chan, do you want to get your memories back?"

The brunette felt shiver go down his spine when those blank eyes turned towards him, flickering wildly like a beast cornering his prey, "Then, come with me—" He grinned maniacally as he took out two daggers from God-knows-where, "—back to your place."

And threw it straight at Oga's head.

.

It was like a slow-motion movie scene. Oga stared at the flying dagger, Quetzalcoatl's grin turned wider, Lamia desperately shouted his name, Natsume tried to get back up on his feet. A shadow flew towards him—

.

BRUUK

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And his body collided with the hard and dirty cement.

.

"A-are you okay, Oga?" the first thing he saw was a mop of white hair before Furuichi's worried look showed up on his peripheral vision. Furuichi sat up and running his orbs on Oga's body, trying to find any injuries, "You are not hurt, right?"

Oga stared at him absentmindly before nodding his head. Furuichi sighed in relief, "Um, ya know. You don't have to save me." The brunette raised his hand, showing him Quetzalcoatl's daggers in his fingers. They let out a small gasp as Oga stood up and twirled the daggers like a basketball, "I can handle it myself."

"He...he caught it?!" Lamia exclaimed.

"Well...looks like your skill still in a good shape." Queatzalcoatl's voice shook them out from their shocked state. He was the one who threw the dagger and Oga caught it with ease, but he didn't look suprise at all. In fact, he looked happy. Like he already knew that Oga could do it in the first place. He step forward and extended his hand to the brunette, "So, Oga-chan. Will you follow me to your supposed-place, now?"

Furuichi's eyebrows knit together and his orbs bored into Natsume's. They shared a quick glance before Natsume nodded and leapt toward Quetzalcoatl, who avoided Natsume's punch and roundhouse kick before sweeping out more daggers and throwing them at Natsume. Natsume ducked, although one of the clown's daggers scratched his left cheek and cut a strand of his brown hair. Oga tried to stop them, but Furuichi stopped him by extending his arm and blocking him from going further. Oga tried to protest, but Furuichi's gaze silenced any word he had to say, and Oga pursed his lips.

Natsume rolled back when Quetzalcoatl stomped his high-heel boots onto his head. He grabbed a pipe near the pile of boxes and rushed forward again. He deflected Quetzalcoatl's dagger and swung the pipe on his head. But Quetzalcoatl evaded easily, as Nastume lost his grip onto the pipe when a light kick from the clown met the brown haired man's hand.

"Oga, we're retreating." Furuichi grabbed Oga's wrist before turning back to another direction of the alley. Oga managed to get his shopping bags before the white haired man started pulling him, "Natsume can handle this. First, we have to find a safe place so I can explain the situation for you."

"You too, little girl." Lamia startled when Furuichi shouted at her. But she regained her composure as she turned on her heels and followed the two adults—with her usual 'I'm not a little girl!' catchphrase.

As his friends retreated, Natsume turned his head back to Queatzalcoatl and smirked at the clown's troubled look, "Sorry, 'Quetty'. But we will not hand him to you or your crazy group." He took out a small black ball from his inner jacket. The clown blinked several times before searching for something in his pocket, "_Ja...Sayonara_." and Natsume throw the ball onto the ground.

A second after that, a white smoke enveloped the area, blocking the clown's vision, "He stole my smoke bomb." He coughed for a while as the smoke dissipated, and he realized that there was nobody in front of him anymore. He gritted his teeth before a wide, scary grin plastered on his overly-white face.

"Oh well. I should report this to _him_. He was _his_ target, after all."

* * *

"My house is not an orphanage, y'know!"

Hilda, was washing plates and cooking utensils while her baby played with his toys nearby, when she heard a knock at the door. She wanted to yell at Oga for his delays—she was already hungry, _damn that sewer rat_!—but thought better of it when she saw his companions. It was normal if Lamia decided to visit their house, but the rest were strangers. A white haired man and a brown haired man. And they had severe cuts all over their bodies, like they had just returned from fighting. And worse, after they introduced themself to her, the white-haired man, Furuichi, collapsed.

"Hey, I didn't know where am I was supposed to bring him. He's dying!" Oga turned his face away, not wanting to face the blonde's wrath.

Natsume soaked the towel in cold water before placing it on Furuichi's forehead. He flinched from the coldness, but returned his kindness with a weak smile, "Thanks, Natsume. I owe you." And moving his head, so he could face Oga, "And you too, Oga."

From inside the small brick house, they could heard the droplets of rain fall onto the roof. Hilda and Lamia rushed to the back of the house and returned with a basket full of clothes, some already drenched from the rain. Furuichi sat up on his futon, pinching his temple as he tried to fight back the upcoming headache. Natsume coax him back down, but he raised his arm, silencing him, "Oga. I believe that you are confused right now, but one thing that I should tell you."

"You have to get away from here."

Hilda hung the clothes inside the house, tried to focus on her task. But her interest was piqued when Furuichi said those words to the brunette. She joined the conversation after she made a warm tea for them (_it's not poisoned, believe me_! Assured Hilda after she got a disgusted look from Oga), "Why? Something happened to the sewer rat? Are the police searching for him because of the ruckus he made?" and she calmly sipped her tea, ignoring Oga's dejected stare.

"Something like that. You said that you have amnesia, right? Have you ever thought about your skill when you caught the dagger or why that stupid clown tried to kill you? " Natsume's warning face turned to Furuichi, trying to convey some hidden message without talking. Furuichi gave him a firm nod and Natsume sighed. He looked at Oga, who was by now quite confused. He exhaled for a while before he said, "It was because of your job, Oga. You are a yakuza."

.

"_A __yakuza __boss to be exact._"

.

*****TBC*****

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**(A/N) : **

Another short chapter. At first, I want to write mafia as his job. But, it called Yakuza in Japan, right? (Mafia remind me with Katekyou Hitman Reborn :v). Sorry I can't describe the fighting well.

The mystery already begin in this chapter! Find out what is it! \(^A^)/

Correct my grammar mistakes like always, please.

_Don't forget to leave your review_

**Best Regards**

**Akabane Kazama**


	7. You can stay

**STAY BY MY SIDE**

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**Disclaimer** : Ryuhei Tamura, not me, 'kay?

.

**Genre (s)** : Suspense and Romance

.

**Warning** : Just like before

.

**A/N** : Sorry, guys. I got hooked up at writing Tonari no Seki-kun fanfiction...again. I really looove that anime! 'cause Seki reminded me of myself; never paid attention in the class. But of course I can't make such an extravagant games like Seki, just reading a fanfiction through my handphone or drawing an anime character. That's why my grade suck. LOL.

My favorite character in Beelzebub is Natsume (falling in love at the first sight). That's why I killed (?) Himekawa and Kanzaki in this story. *evil laugh*

Previous chapter corrected by **Alatum Laminis**. :)

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**DON'T LIKE DON'T READ**

If you want to flame it, go ahead.

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Should Lamia feel sad or happy? She didn't know.

At first, she just wanted to stock up on another ingredients for her meals, before then she met up with Oga on the way to the market accidentally. Hilda-nee told her that Oga's cooking was delicious, so she wanted to taste it. But on the way to Hilda-nee's house, some stranger just showed up like any action-movie villain. They knew about Oga and one of them—the clown, Quetzalcoatl—threw the daggers toward him, but Oga caught it with ease. Then Natsume fought with him for a bit when Furuichi dragged Oga and Lamia to the safe place. When they arrived at Hilda-nee's house, Furuichi wobbled before his legs gave out and he collapsed. And after he was awaked, he told them about Oga's past, that actually, he was a Yakuza.

A Yakuza boss, _damn it_!

"T-Then, if that's true, you should leave now, ogre!" Lamia stuttered, her hands flailing and her body trembling from the shock, "I-If you stay here, Hilda-nee and Beel-chan will be in danger and I can't let you do that! R-Right, Hilda-nee?"

But when she turned her head for Hilda's aggrement, the young mother just hid her face behind her bangs and pursed her lips tightly. Lamia went silent and she cursed inwardly because of her insensitive comment. How could she mock Oga if she was just as clueless as him?

Furuichi lay down on the futon, he had another headache and all of his entire body felt like shit. He observed the brunette's change of expression—still blank. He saw the green haired baby try to climb onto Oga's back, before pinching his cheeks, demanding the man's attention. Furuichi wanted to say something, at least so that the situation wouldn't be so awkward; it was his fault too. But then the blonde abruptly stood up, drawing all attention to her.

"If you want to leave, then leave." She said, picking her baby up and holding him under her bosom. Beel wriggled slightly, wanting to play with Oga. But his mother's grip was so tight, he couldn't escape. So, he stopped struggling and watched his mother's face, which was still shadowed by her bangs, "I don't care if you were a yakuza boss, or a mafia boss, or a sewer-rat—" Oga was finally 'awake' from his thought because of the last sentence and gave her a death glare, "—I just wanted to live peacefully with my baby in a peaceful village and peaceful neighbourhood. Now, excuse me." before she stormed out, walking hastily toward the kitchen.

And another awkward silence ensued.

Natsume, who had chosen to keep silent until now, finally opened his mouth, "I know this was hard to believe, so you don't have to decide now, Oga." He fiddled with his cup before he sipped, savouring the delicious hot tea inside his mouth, "If you want to stay here, then we can't force you."

"Natsume!"

"But, remember this Oga." Natsume continued, pretending that he hadn't heard Furuichi's protest beforehand. His brown honey colored orbs turned sharp, showing that he was serious, "Behemoth's 34 pillars division likes to take drastic measures to fulfill their goals. You have to think about it very carefully if you want to save everyone dear to you."

The brunette blink several times and scratched his nape before he standing up and walking to the opposite side of the living room.

"Oi, Oga!" Lamia shouted, halting Oga's step in front of the kitchen door. Lamia was silent for a while, thinking about the best way to approach this problem. She looked up and was suprised to see Oga still standing there, as impatient as he was. Lamia sighed before her face turned solemn, "If you make Hilda-nee cry, I'll _totally_ kick you."

* * *

DUAAKK

A loud kick echoed through the hallway and some whimpering added to the the ruckus. After an intruder barged into their headquarters and then disappeared after fulfilling his objective, they had to clean up the mess. Hecadoth was furious, and he was vehemently kicking every useless guard who couldn't stop him, "You trash! I should just kill you right now because of your uselessness."

He unsheath his sword and swung it toward the scared man who fell onto the floor, shielding his face reflexively with his hand for the incoming pain. But it never came, and then the guard realized that a white, slender hand gripped the messy haired man's wrist. He growled and glared at the woman behind him for disturbing his punishment toward the useless trash, "Release me now, Agiel."

But she stayed still and gave him a serious expression, quiet unlike her happy-go-lucky face that she usually had as the mood-maker of their group. Agiel removed Hecadoth's sword from his grip swiftly, ignoring the aforementioned dejected protest, and said, "Quetzalcoatl found _him_."

"Huh? What do you mean by—ah!" his eyes widened in shock, but Agiel's face didn't changed in the slightest.

With a small hand gesture, every battered guard bowed quickly before they scrambling back to their posts. Her face broke into a small smile and she relaxed her tensed shoulders. Then she realized that Hecadoth was still waiting for her information, so she sighed loudly as she turned, facing her back to the man, "Just now, Queat-chan came back and told me this. But he didn't elabroted further and just disappear." The sound of her heels echoed inside the empty hallway, "Y'know, for meeting _him_."

"You mean, Quetzalcoatl went to Kyoto?" Hecadoth was baffled. He seathed his sword on his waist and walked side by side with the girl, "He didn't said anything about our next move or something like that?"

Agiel shook her head, fishing out her phone from inside her pocket. She wanted to check if there were any emails from Quetzalcoatl about the problem that they were facing right now but sighed loudly for the second time as she found nothing. Hecadoth put his chin in the middle of his fingers, before a large grin broke onto his white face, "Then why don't we _visit_ him?"

"Huh?!" Agiel whipped her head back to face her companion—she was sure that she could hear her bones crack—and showed him her usual comical expression. But Hecadoth was just laughing and laughing. Was it just her or could she hear a demon's laughter, mixed in the background with her partner's laughter? And why did it feel as if the room temperature had dropped drastically, so much so that she shivered? Was this the effect of Hecadoth's demon laughter?

Note to self : bring a coat in case she would have to deal with _'evil Hecadoth.'_

* * *

"What 'r ya doing, bitch?"

Oga leaned back on the wooden kitchen wall as he watched whatever Hilda was doing in front of the stove. Beel was sitting in his carrier and ran happily, approaching the said _brunette_ with his hand extended, demanding to be carried. Oga sighed before he held the baby near his broad chest. The young mother was wearing a sakura-pattern apron and Oga could hear something being cut—later did he know that Hilda was cutting vegetables, "What do you think? Of course I'm cooking." She walked to the shrink and chopped another cabbage. She talked with Oga, still with her back facing him, "I have to start learning how to cook if you really want to leave."

Then there was more silence. The _brunette_ cursed himself for being so bad at striking up a conversation, especially with women. His mind was set, even with his amnesia, that women were scary things that you shouldn't mess with. One could never guess when their period was, and in that state, Oga feared them more that he feared a starving lion; they would be angry without a reason, cry a lot because of a cheesy romance movie, or laugh like a mad scientist at a joke made in poor taste. He shuddered.

"Kh!" Oga's train of thought stopped when he heard Hilda wince. He couldn't see anything from his position but he had a feeling that whatever happened, Hilda was not okay.

"Oi, what happened?" he walked briskly to Hilda's side after putting the baby inside his carrier. His black orbs widened as he saw a trail of blood flow down from a wound on Hilda's finger. He assumed that Hilda cut herself when he found a knife with red liquid on it not too far from her right hand, "You're bleeding!"

"Huh. This is just a small cut. I can treat it myself." She answered, before grabbing a medical kit from inside the cupboard above their head.

"Hell no, you can't! How can you bandage it with just one hand?" and Oga snatched it right away, ignoring Hilda's death glare. He grabbed Hilda's wrist, dragged her toward the dining table and forced the blonde to sit—Beel walked in his carrier and stood beside his mother, asking her condition with his big, _emerald_ eyes. Without further ado, Oga picked up everything that he needed to treat the cut; such as antiseptic spray and roll-up bandage. He wiped the blood with his handkerchief and sprayed it with antiseptic spray. After that, he cut the bandage to the proper size and wrapped Hilda's cut slowly but neatly.

"...stay." Hilda's mumbled something in the middle of the treating. Oga looked up, realizing that Hilda was staring at him right now. He narrowed his eyes in confusion. The young mother's face turned away slightly, finding that the floor was interesting to look at than Oga's pair of black eyes. Oga swore that he saw a light blush on those white, beautiful cheeks, "You can stay here if you want."

"Beel will accept you gladly."

Oga blinked for several more times again and his jaw droped; he even stopped wrapping from the shock he was feeling. Did he hear it correctly? Hilda wanted him to stay? (_not me, but Beel-chan was!_ Corrected Hilda). Oga stared at the young mother, dumbfound. He let out a light cuckle, before it turned out a full-fledged laughter, "W-What's so funny?" Hilda stuttered.

He held his side and shake his head. Small tears formed in the corner of Oga's eyes, "No, no. It's nothing." Hilda pouted secretly when she could still heard him chuckle. But her dejected face broke into a small smile as Oga was doing the same. And he said _those words_, even though she have to lean forward to hear them clearly. She just closed her eyes, enjoying Oga's rough but warm hand around her fingers.

.

"_Thank you, Hilda."_

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*****TBC*****

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**(A/N) :**

That was TatsuGarde fluff for you! \(^_^)/

Correct my grammar mistakes like always, please.

_Don't forget to leave your review_

**Best Regards**

**Akabane Kazama**


	8. Help us, Oga Tatsumi

**STAY BY MY SIDE**

.

**Disclaimer** : Ryuhei Tamura, not me, 'kay?

.

**Genre (s)** : Suspense and Romance

.

**Warning** : Just like before

.

**A/N** : I got hooked up reading KHR fanfiction, especially the story about Arcobaleno's or Xanxus's parenting toward Tsuna or Tsuna's antics when his classmates almost discovering his identity. ' hope they make more story with that kind of topic.

Previous chapter corrected by **Alatum Laminis**.

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**DON'T LIKE DON'T READ**

If you want to flame it, go ahead.

.

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.

Furuichi stared at Hilda's rigid countenance, while her arms keeping her baby under her bosom, lulling him to sleep. Then to Oga, who nonchalantly picking his ear whilst giving him a bored look. Also Lamia's contorted face that didn't change in the slightest, giving a vibe that she's still in a serious mode. Furuichi let a out a chock breath, before he started to spilled out the story, word by word, slowly but clearly, "As I said before, Oga is a yakuza boss with a high-influence toward the citizen's life around his territory. But Behemot's 34 pillar, another yakuza group that self-proclaimed as Oga's rival, didn't like his interference, hence tried to hunt him down."

"But, although Oga's job sounds bad, yours isn't a nasty either miserly one. You tried to fought them, but their number kept increasing. So, Natsume opened a path for your flee, but one of Behemot's man caught up with you and successfully shot your back. " Oga nodded his head, agreeing with him because Hilda told himself that he got a bad injury near his heart, but not fatally wounded, "I got caught by them and they forced me to told your whereabout. But Tojo and Natsume helped with my escape and I finally found you here. I'm so relieved that you're still alive and kicking, considering your injury that time."

"But they will not back down." Furuichi held the hem of Oga's futon. His fingers dug into his skin while his body trembled vigorously, tounge darting out to soak his dry lips from the heavy breathing, "Behemot's 34 pillar is the bad one, not you. They tortured every person living for their enjoyment, stole every moneys they could for their pleasure, killed every innocent civillian!"

"And our family lost their life because of them." Lamia's caramel eyes widened when Oga's narrowed slightly. Natsume just biting his bottom lip as he turned to look in the other direction, finding that the wooden wall was interesting to look at than that saddened pair of eyes which coming from every person that assembled inside the living room. Furuichi breath became laboured, sweat began running down his forehead despite feeling the temperature in the room go down a few degrees because of the rain that still pouring down outside from his little refuge. His palms felt sweaty and clammy; he shut his mouth to stop the heavy panting, but it only resulted in a heavy and constricting feeling settle in his chest.

He stiff like a cardboard and his entire body felt numb. He wanted to falling down and crying, hoping the cruel and brutal past that he had were only a lie; a false illusion conjured up by his paranoid mind that only lived to make him suffer. But it didn't. It was true. An obvious, tangible event he had undergo when he was still an innocent passerby, living a merry live with his beloved parents.

His friend placed his large, warm hand on his shoulder, coaxing him for catching his breath to relaxing his stiff posture. A large lump lodged itself in Furuichi's throat as he tried to swallow the feeling back and he gritted his teeth with such ferocity, it hurt. He have to be strong, he have to bear with it! A man doesn't cry, that was what Oga told him many years ago.

"You save our—no—everyone's life Oga. You gave us protection and a place for living. You're a yakuza—well, yours more like a vigilante group—but you're the most kind person we ever met in our life." Furuichi gaze embeded inside Oga's. In spite of his usually bored look, that lifeless pair of black orbs now depicting a determination, "Maybe this is selfish, coming from a stranger like me, as your condition now unequivocal. But, as your right-hand man, and as your friend, I have to say this. Oga, you have to stop this madness."

"Stop Behemot's 34 pillar division at all cost!"

* * *

Quetzalcoatl entered the large, spacious room in the other end of the white-coloured hallway with many painting made by every famous painter adjurned in a row. An elegant office desk with a lush office chair behind it, with two chairs sitting in front of the desk were the first to greet his sight. Stacks of books from all over the world arranged in orderly fashion inside the bookself that surrounded every crook of the grey-coloured wall. On the left side of the room, there is a plush couch adorned with throw pillows of maroon color for a relaxation with a coffe table in the middle of it. On the far right side of the corner of the room, stood a rack full of wine various by it production years and a big billiard table adorned itself not to far from the bar-like table. The floor is carpeted by a deep shade of velvet; Queatzalcoatl could felt the soft and silky against the touch of his skin. Overall, the room look warm and cozy.

"What are you doing here, Queatzalcoatl?" his wide, blank eyes flutter to the direction of the hoarse voice; it was from a man that wear a silky, black suit who stood behind the elegant office desk. He turned around, sharpening his gaze to the clown that walk leisurely inside his office, "I though you have your 'personal business' in Tokyo."

"Well, I came here because of 'that business'." He comfort himself on the soft plush couch, pouring himself a coffee before he took a sipped, savouring the bitterness on his purple lips, "I found _him_."

Albeit the slightly dark room, Quetzalcoatl could see his widening eyes clearly, it make him chuckle. Of course it is. _This man_ never got a good acquintance with _that man_, more than Hecadoth itself. His eyes glint dangerously, it make the clown's hairs on the back of his neck gradually began to stand the further he stare, "Where is he?"

"Where is that bastard?!"

* * *

Her eyes fluttered open as the sun began to rise on the distant horizon, shards of red and orange splintering acrross the sky, followed by a wave of eventual blue.

The bad, odious feeling from her previous slumber faded away, replaced with the chirphing and buzzing of the bugs in the forest. The swish of her _hakama_ against the grass and the occasional call of the wild animals in the distance echoed through every nook of the place. Her black eyes roaming around between her surrounding, and realized that her friends already woke up and starting to make a breakfast.

"Ah, Aoi-neesan. Y're awake." The woman with curly orange hair tied to a horse-tail style stood brusquely before approaching the said long black haired woman that still trying to balanced herself. Aoi's stable condition sure is shaping a smile in her pale face and she let out her holding breath slightly, "_Yokatta_...I though you'll never woke up."

"Nene, it was just a small injuries. It will be heal in no time." Although she felt very tired, stress played a large part in that, but there was nothing she could do about the stress as long as she could reassured her friend with a small quirk on her tiny lips. It took a while until her eyes get used to the brightness of the forest in the morning, as she caresses her bandaged arms, she realized something, "Where are Chiaki and Kaoru?"

"Ah they went to another side of the forest for searching a herbs for your injuries, nee-san. Ryouko, catch it!" chirped the shoulder lenght light-orange haired woman with a pink flower settle comfortably on her hair, stopping her 'picking fruits on top of a tree' task as she glanced down and dropped some of it to another woman with the same haired style's—although hers is brown and a white mask covered half of her face—grip with a 'nice, Yuko!' outcry and a thumb up. Yuko grinned widely, before she jumped off of the tree and scooted herself to the group, with Ryouko trailing from the back, "We should re-bandaged your injuries, nee-san."

She can't help another small smile as her friends came barelling to her, asking about her condition or about her feeling. Then a small, petite woman with short black haired name's Chiaki and another one with boyish haircut name's Kaoru came, with a bag full of green leaves. She groaned and sighed, clicked her tongue as her injuries felt more painful and much work than it needed to be; her friends apologize directly because of their rough treatment, but their leader just shook her head, dismissing their curt attitude toward her being. As they nursed her injuries, Chiaki stared at Aoi's twin black orbs with her usual deadpan look. Aoi, understand the message behind that blank eyes as they became a friend from kindergarten until now, smile fondly, albeit these feelings that caused butterflies to flutter in her stomatch, "I know, Chiaki. But we can't back down now. We have to do it."

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_We have to save our very best friend_.

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*****TBC*****

**(A/N) :**

Another boring chapter. Sorry, I can't describe the layout very well. The bookself in that room look very much like Spongebob's library, lol :v

_Correct my mistakes like always, please._

**Best Regards**

**Akabane Kazama**


	9. I don't want to lost someone dear to me!

**STAY BY MY SIDE**

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**Disclaimer** : Ryuhei Tamura

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**Genre (s)** : Suspense and Romance

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**Warning** : Yakuza!AU, OOC, Typo and many others.

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**A/N** : YESSS! I GOT ACCEPTED AT MY FAVORITE UNIVERSITY! Now I just have to focused myself studying for UN! XD

This chapter beta'd by **Alatum Laminis** :3

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**DON'T LIKE DON'T READ**

If you want to flame it, go ahead.

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"_...ga..."_

_"Oga..."_

_"Oga, please help me..."_

_"HELP MEEEEE!"  
_

* * *

He woke up with a loud gasp.

"Wha...what...was that?"

It was a nightmare. But not just an ordinary nightmare. It was his memories.

Yes. He was sure of that the nightmare was his memories.

Suddenly, his head seemed to burn. He groaned loudly as his hands flew directly to his head and clutched it tightly. He had such a strong headache that his thoughts became messy. It was as if something was preventing him from remembering his most crucial memory. His breathing became laboured. He was sweating bullets, and his shirt and bed-covers were drenched. Something was really wrong.

What could his dream possibly be, to cause such dread and..._sadness_? Why couldn't he remember anything? He needed those memories so bad, damn it!

After a while, his heart calmed down a bit and his breathing became less hectic. In an instant, all of his worries ceased, if momentarily. He let out a small sigh as he wiped away the perspiration that was covering half of his face with the back of his hand, before returning his stare back to the room and measuring every spot. It was a simple bedroom, with a single bed comfort near the right wall. The window had no curtains and the furniture was pretty worn. The white skid marks on the tiled floor indicated that there some large furniture there before. There was a half-opened first aid kit on top of the old desk across the bed, revealing clean gauzes and a roll of bandages used several times for tending his still-not-fully-healed-yet wound; he gently touched up his wound near his abdomen.

This was Hilda's husband room—'_was_', being the key word.

He didn't know anything about Hilda' past or her husband's presence in this small but warm house; not that he was so bored that he had to pry into someone else's privacy. But one thing he knew for sure was that Hilda was just an ordinary young mother who wanted to live a happy life with her one and only one son. Sure, that bitch always ordered him around and her Almighty-like attitude pissed him off, but he couldn't deny the fact that Hilda was a nice person, _and quite a lonely one as well_. It made him rethink his decision for the umpteenth time today; was it wise for him to stay here and live a not-so-happy life with her and her son? In spite of his job as a yakuza boss? What if something bad happened to them? What if _she _got hurt because of him?

"Oi, sewer-rat! Wake up!" he could heard her arrogant voice from behind his— for now—bedroom door, "I'm hungry, so get your ass up and make a breakfast for me!"

What if he lost _her_, just like when he lost _them_?

.

.

.

"Huh?"

Oga fluttered his eyes, keeping his hands on top of his head and clutching a black strand of hair between his fingers again. His bangs covered his black orbs as he tried to comprehend the words that were coming to his mind just no. What...was that? What did he just say? Them? Who's them? Were they his...

"Oi, Oga! Y'hear me?"

"Can you just fucking shut up for a minute?!" Oga grumbled, releasing his short-fuse anger, and with a vein popping out on his forehead. "Damn, wretched bitch!"

* * *

Today was such a shiny day; the sun was high in the sky, warming everything in its sight and perfect if his subordinates chose to bathe themselves under the rays of sun rather than being cooped up inside their respective rooms. But this was not the case with a certain handsome man.

Snuggling deeper into his warm dark blue cocoon, Izuma felt himself relax for the first time in months. His drowsy thoughts went to the bundle of papers he had to sign for the past few boring months of his life. The smooth blanket felt nice against his skin, warming his entire body. He wished that this peaceful moment could just go on for eternity—

BAAM!

—but his wish was shattered right at the moment when his bedroom door had been rudely opened and a thud of mahogany wood hitting the cement wall echoed through the green-painted room, revealing a woman his age with long, waist-length, reddish-orange hair. Her short bangs were clipped together by several white hairpins and several strands next to her head stuck out in a spiky manner. Not wanting to deal with whoever trespassed into his supposedly-private room, Izuma opened his eyes slightly and he turned around, facing the wall and showing the intruder his back.  
She huffed when she saw her boss still laying down lazily like a hibernated bear, as she took a step closer toward the man.

"Come on, you lazy bum. Wake up. It's already morning!" But the silky black haired man just ignored her warning. He grumbled something incoherent, trying to send her a signal that he wanted to sleep longer. Her eyebrows knitted together, before it turned into a grin—a rather devilish grin, one must know.

"I-ZU-MAA~" her voice become more sweet yet dangerous. A demon-like shadow appeared behind her well built figure and dark aura surrounded her, sending a shiver down Izuma's spine. Izuma got up from his bed as fast as a bullet and a ghost of an awkward smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

"Woa, woa, Shizuka-chan! Calm down! I'm awake now." He held both his hands up and frantically waved them. Izuma let out his breath that he unconsciously held when the said 'Shizuka-chan' relaxed her posture and pouted cutely.

Izumo yawned and rubbed his slanted eyes sleepily, lazily stretching his sleep stiffened limbs underneath his cotton covers. He slowly stood up, making his bed creak under his weight when he bounced a little to gain momentum. He shrugged when he saw that his vibrant blue carpet was cluttered with all sorts of papers that he managed to finish before yesterday midnight. As he walked toward the large, golden-framed glass door that connected to his room's balcony and opened up the red curtains, it made soft, orange light stream into the room and highlight his white, handsome face.

"So, what news do you have today?" He set his black glasses on top of his pointed nose and his voice changed into one of his serious tones that he always had when he handed over a very important mission to the one among his best subordinates, "I hope it's crucial enough that you had to disturb me from my sleep."

Shizuka coughed once before she said, "It's about Oga. Furuichi and Natsume finally met him and now they're staying at Hilda's house, a young blonde mother that lives in a secluded village with Beelze, her son. I couldn't found any information about her husband though."

"Oh?"

"And the Red Tails' location is still unknown. Shinjo-kun and Sakaki-kun are trying to narrow the searching area."

"It's okay, you don't have to be such a worrywart. They are strong enough, especially for women. They will not die so easily."

Izuma grabbed an apple from inside the fruit basket placed on top of a round, silver table near the balcony. He took a big bite and stared at the well-maintained garden; the flowers had fully bloomed. The dew was dripping from leaf to leaf, forming a unique and soothing rhythm. The birds were chirping happily, it was comforting.

"Izuma." Shizuka seemed hesitant. "Do you think...we should let Miki know about this?"

His movements stopped abruptly and his shoulders tensed. He didn't think she would ask that kind of question, thus a suffocating silence ensued. After one minute in silence that felt like forever, Izuma finally said, a solemn look on his resolute face, "Naah...no need"

"I want him to stay in the dark about their problem."

* * *

"Who are you?"

Right now, Oga was hunting another deer or rabbit for their breakfast—the last meat they had was already gone into Oga's bottomless stomach. Also, with Furuichi and Natsume as their additional guests, he would have to prepare more than he would usually make for his savior (not that Oga wanted to admit that that bitch saved him from the brink of death). When suddenly, he felt a deadly aura, and he spun around quickly, throw his knife before it stabbed deeply into the trunk of one of the big trees that surrounded him. He quickly realized that he was being followed by another stranger.

Oga stared suspiciously at the two unwelcome guests that stood not too far from where he stood. One was a male with unruly dark blue hair and a permanent scowl on his face. The other was a female with crimson red hair tied in two braids and wearing a pair of glasses. And what was with the woman's clothes? It was displaying her body curves so openly that Oga had to force himself to not look at her.

"Looks like you really do have amnesia." The man unsheathed his katana before he launched himself toward Oga with eyes full of hatred. The brunette evaded easily, although he had to bear a small scratch on his sun-kissed face because the tip of the sword stroked his left cheek. Hecadoth stopped and a smirk appeared on his arrogant face, "At least you still have your fast agility."

"Well, let us re-introduce ourselves then. The man's named Hecadoth. And mine's Agiel. But you can call me Ru-chan," introduced the female.

"Ru...?" Oga asked, confused.

"A-gi-e-ru. Ru-chan." She pronounced her name slowly like a mother teaching her son how to read. "Now that we know each other again, Oga, why don't you come with us?" She outstretched her hand, which Oga stared at with furrowed eyebrows and a suspicious look written on his face, "Our boss had tired enough waiting for your presence near him."  
"Huh? Oi, Agiel what are you..."

"Your boss?" Oga's question cut off Hecadoth's unfinished sentence. When he realized what the woman really meant, the scowl became deeper and he hissed like an angry snake, "You're from that Behemoth 34's pillars that Furuichi told me about, huh? The no-good-for-nothing-but-violence group of so-called yakuza?"

Hecadoth's dark blue eyes widened, "Wha...how dare you..."

But his words got cut for the second times when Agiel pat his shoulder lightly but firmly, much to Hecadoth's dismay, "Ma...ma Hec-chan. Quetzal-chan already told us that we were too late, right? Why don't we do it according to his plan?" she asked and took a step forward. Her friendly attitude vibe that she emitted suddenly disappeared and it was replaced by a deadly, murderous aura that Oga quickly felt. It made the brunette shiver; he prepared his fighting stance unconsciously.

He had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

_"You haven't told 'em about that. Why Furu-chan?"_

_"Hmm?"_

_"You know...about Oga's connection with Behemoth 34's pillars division."_

_"..."_

_"Furuichi?"_

_"..."_

_Sigh, "I hope you have a good reason when the time comes. You know that they will never abandon their partner, especially their boss."_

* * *

Their attacks were brutal, Oga had to admit. This was his first time—or at least it practically was the case considering how little he remembered anything from his past—he had to face more than one assailant. And their combination attacks were really troublesome for him; he couldn't find any openings for a counter-attack. He could easily dodge Hecadoth's attacks; such as katana swings, fast kicks or attempts of a hard jab behind his neck. But then Agiel's big hairpin-like weapon would plant itself on his body. It didn't hurt as much as Hecadoth's attack, but after his right arm got a light scratch from the hairpin, it suddenly felt numb. Hell! He couldn't use his right arm for a while now!

"Looks like her weapon has a paralysis chemical or something like that on it," Oga mused, dodging a swift upper-cut from the woman. He tried to reach for his knife that was still stuck on the trunk everytime he had a chance—well, tried to—but Hecadoth never gave him a chance to move as he pleased.

His energy was slowly decreasing and soon, he couldn't avoid their attacks anymore. His body was full of bruises, his heart felt like exploding and his lungs felt like they were bursting. He had a hard time taking another breath, let alone standing still. As he tried to regain his composure, he felt another ominious aura too late, and then he felt a sharp pain not too far from his left kidney.

"Sorry I'm late." Oga's leg wobbled before he stumbled forward. He covered his wound with both of his hands, trying to suppress his bleeding but to no avail. The brunette rolled his eyes, glaring at the man with blue hair and feline eyes that stood arrogantly behind him, holding a long rapier in his left hand.

"Che. Why do you have to always steal the spotlight, Naga?"

While her two partners did their banter like usual, she stood up in front of the wheezing man, looming dangerously, "You lost, Oga-chan. I told you to come with us obediently from the start, right?"

"You don't have to be worried." Agiel spun on her heels, peering the brunette from behind her bangs, "'Tarou Tsutomi'-sama would be happy, seeing you in flesh. Well, besides your pathetic wounds."

"Damn..." Oga cursed. Black spots danced hazily in his vision as he tried to stay conscious. "Damn..." He couldn't defend himself when Naga and Hecadoth yanked his arms, forcing him to stand up before they dragged him to God-knows-where (he didn't care enough to describe the place he was going anymore).

Moving his body was painful. Breathing was painful. _Everything was just painful!_

"Damn..." He should have just run away rather than fight someone—no, two people before the other one arrived—from the yakuza. Furuichi believed that he could stop their rash actions and Hilda was considerate enough that she accepted him in spite of his dangerous occupation. He was such a fool (Oga could just imagine Hilda snickering and agreeing with his statement just now). How could he protect everyone if he himself was so weak? How could he protect her from the danger of the true, cruel world?

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_What if he lost her, just like when he lost _them_?_

_._

"Oga?"

Slowly, he turned his head, facing the said blonde mother who stood stupefied, watching the scene unfold on her beautiful, green orbs. Suddenly, Oga's head felt like it wanted to explode. His breath became more hectic and sweat flowed profusely from his temple. Another strong headache, it make him want to vomit so badly.

No. Anything but that. Not Hilda, not Beelze. No. He didn't want that.

_He didn't want to lost someone dear to him anymore than this!_

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*****TBC*****

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**(A/N)** :

Weww...I think this chap was the long chap I had in this story.

_Don't forget to leave your review_

**Best Regards**

**Akabane Kazama**


	10. Falling in love—again

**STAY BY MY SIDE**

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**Disclaimer** : Ryuhei Tamura

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**Genre (s)** : Suspense and Romance

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**Warning** : Just like before

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**A/N** : I should start studying for the exam. But, here I am...updating more of the chapter. And another long one, too. Oh well, hope you like it.

Beta'ed by **Alatum Laminis**

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**DON'T LIKE DON'T READ**

If you want to flame it, go ahead.

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"Then I'll go out for a bit." Natsume rose from the chair and headed to the mahogany door. "Who knows what danger Oga could get into if h—" But then he suddenly froze. Furuichi raised one of his eyebrows in confusion.

"Natsume, what's the matter?" The white haired man tilted his head to the side slightly before he realized why his friend was suddenly speechless.

There, in front of their room, Hilda stood with a silver tray full of cookies and two cups of coffee. They knew from her stupefied expression that Hilda overheard their conversation and was now lost in her own thoughts, taking in the influx of information with wide eyes and pressed lips.

KRAAAK BRAK

They flinched, finally snapping out from the awkward silence after a loud crack—it was the sound of a falling tree—resounding in every nook of Hilda's not-to-big house. Before they know it, Hilda shoved the tray onto Natsume's grasp and stormed out from the house using the backdoor, heading to the source of the loud noise; the forest.

"Crud! Wait a minute, Hilda-san!" Natsume raced after her, leaving the tray of food and drinks on the floor and Furuichi, who sighed in frustation. Now, he didn't have any choice but to tell them the whole story.

* * *

Her body just moved on its own. She felt like a puppet on a string being controlled by a puppeteer. She ran and ran, ignoring the thunderous heaving of her lungs. Everything sounded diluted, even the sound of her breathing and quick footsteps. The only clear sounds she could hear were the scrunching of leaves under her foot and the horribly slow, irregular thumping of her heart. Her mind raced, full of thoughts of a certain brunette man.

Why? What...the hell she was doing? Sprinting like a mad man, thinking about that..._that man?_ The same man that came, no, barging in and ruining her peaceful life? That, _Oga Tatsumi?!_ Why should she care this much about a mere stranger into her small world after she heard that he is in danger? She should have known, though not like Furuichi did, that Oga's job would always put him in danger! So, why?!

But, here she was. Standing like a fool (Hilda could just imagine Oga snorting and agreeing with her statement just now), watching the commotion that unfolded right in front of her eyes; she could see some of the trees cracked in weird shapes, like the shape of a human, or split into two that, she believed, was because of a katana that a dark blue haired man held. She snapped out of her bewilderment after Oga lost and was dragged mercilessly to the opposite end of the forest, still not aware of the blonde's presence. And before she could stop herself, she spoke his name, albeit a little hoarsely.

"Oga?"

And Hilda slapped her forehead inwardly when their attention turned towards her, cursing her poor fate as the girl in braids scrutinized her being from head to toe. Oh, they didn't need to tell her, she knew it right away.

That she was seriously in a hell lot of trouble.

* * *

_'Help!' Someone's screaming, before it stopped in an abrupt halt after a loud 'BANG' came into his hearing._

_._

_"Spare me!" With a flick of his wrist, a knife was in a black figure's grasp and the victim's throat was opened like rain being expelled from the heavens, only much messier._

_._

_"Mama!" A little girl merely laid on the ground like a broken doll, screaming and crying as she watched an old lady being stabbed by another black figure._

_._

_"B-Boss..." Someone stomped his boot onto the man in suit's hand, successfully giving each and every twitching bone a good cracking. He howled in agony, watching the assaulter swing his weapon onto his unguarded neck._

_._

_"O-Oga..." _Ah, this voice._ He knew it very well. The voice of someone very dear to him. "You...have to run..."_

.  
_"RUN BEFORE HE CAME TO KILL YOU!"_

_._

_._

Oga let out a loud gasp as he felt his stomach do a flip-flop in guilt. The memories kept playing like a fragments of a movie, all chopped up and sewn back together again, hideously distorted, but clearer than the double-edged sword as they rushed by, circling lazily, as if they enjoyed the brunette's torment. The stabbing, shooting, screaming, all of the bad sensations came back in a fury. His forehead was drenched with sweat, and his heart rate pounded out to a dangerous rhythm that made Oga as dizzy as the rest of his body felt. He was feeling light-headed and his brain felt hot and fuzzy. It was too much! It all caused him to arch in discomfort, groaning as the weight came on full force.

_Make it stop._

His head was pounding, pounding so badly that it feels like someone was banging a mallet on his skull. He gritted his teeth and scrunched his nose, willing the pain to stop.

_Make it stop._

Oga winced as his wounded body twinged painfully. His heart was pounding so fast, it hurt. Every muscle in his body tensied as the falling sensation dragged at his stomach.

_Please, make it stop._

"Should I kill her?" Naga unsheathed his rapier from his black belt. His eyes narrowed, glinting with malice as Hilda flinched under his glare.

Agiel's orange orbs turned to the side, observing the brunette. His breath had become more rigid and blood was dripping profusely onto the fallen leaves beneath him. She let out a sigh, before her face changed drastically and her tone turned into one full of superiority. "Do not play around and finish it quickly."

A wide, toothy smirk adorned his face, "Aye, aye sir." And he dashed toward the woman, with his weapon shining under the sun.

.

But before Naga could reach his target, a sudden dark intent made him shiver. He crossed his arms unconsciously, before a strong punch could reach his face. Immediately, the man was thrown away thanks to the strength of an invisible attack. Naga gritted out, his face twitching as he tried to regain his composure and ready his fighting stance again.

"_Hora, hora_...If you want to do something fun, you should let me in~" Some of the spectators narrowed their eyes in distaste, while Oga and Hilda showed pure confusion with the sudden twist of events. Meanwhile, Natsume finally caught up and leaned his shoulder on the trunk as he tried to steady his erratic heartbeat, and he too, gasped in shock after seeing the late hero that decided to came and save the day.

Wearing a tucked in collared shirt and baggy trousers, he stood menacingly under the spotlight. His reddish-orange hair was pushed back out of his face swayed as an evening breeze blew slightly, tried to enlighten the tensed mood but to no avail. His extremely well built body, a scar on the right side of his forehead and a playful but wicked grin didn't erase the fact that all of his aura screamed mess-with-me-and-you'll-know-hell.

"You!" Hecadoth ground his teeth together to stop the anger that was rising in his stomach. He loathed this man, more than _that man_ who put a mental curse under their boss's nose. Especially that childish smirk, it made Hecadoth's jaw set in irritation.

"Toujo, I see you're safe." The said man, who Natsume just called Toujo, could hear leaves crunching under the pressure of someone's foot, and although his gaze still locked onto the enemies in front of him, he got ready for any attack that could come at anytime and from anywhere.

"Natsume, what is the meaning of this?" Sensing the tense atmosphere that didn't show any sign of letting up, he knew that he was missing out on something incredibly important, especially when he saw Oga, the man that they were searching for all this time, being held hostage.

But Natsume didn't say anything. Instead, his honey colored eyes stared solemnly into Toujo's black orbs, conveying the message without saying anything. They stayed like that for a couple of seconds, before the bulky man whipped his head to look at the blonde who still stood like a statue behind them. "Hey, woman!" Hilda woke up from her stupor. "You're not part of this freaking problem, right? Just go away so you don't slow us down!"

Hilda cringed at the harsh tone Toujou used, while Natsume nudged his side, warning him to stay polite to the young mother who had saved Furuichi and him. Naga took the chance and lunged at the woman one more time, like a hungry eagle after his prey.

Suddenly all of the saliva in Oga's mouth seemed to disappear, as he finally realized what dire circumstances they were in right now, leaving his throat as dry as an empty riverbed. He felt bereft and dusty and wind-blown. Hilda! He...had to help her.

_He had to save her!_

When he tried to lift up his arm, an electrifying shock crawled up his limb in the blink of an eye, burning him and making him hiss in pain. But he didn't care. _He didn't care!_ Oga, with a bloodcurdling scream erupting from his mouth, mustered his strength, and his left elbow crashed into Hecadoth's jaw and sent him flying to the opposite side of the clearing.

"Wha-"

Before they could react any further, Oga leaped forward—stumbling a bit—and punched Naga's left cheek very hard, throwing the man off guard before he crashed to the nearby trunk. The brunette spun quickly and grabbed Hilda's wrist, dragging her away from the crossfire. Moving his injured body like this, it felt like a large snake was tightly coiled around his ribs, so tightly that every time he let out a breath, it constricted a bit more. But as long as he could reach _that place_...as long as Hilda was safe...

"So..." When he was sure that they were both already gone as far as possible, Natsume pulled out Oga's knife from the trunk and twirled it easily, like what he held wasn't dangerous. Agiel cursed herself for their carelessness, leaving anything that could be used as a weapon and giving their opponents an advantage. "Shall we begin?" Natsume teased.

Naga winced as he stood up shakily while Toujo relaxed his posture and prepared his fighting stance and weapon; a pair of black gloves adorned with iron thorns were on his hands. He couldn't resist an evil cackle as he felt his adrenaline pumping. "This will be fun~"

* * *

Ducking under numerous branches and skipping past huge slippery boulders and piles of soaked leaves, Hilda placed all of her effort not to trip or fall on anything along the way. She avoided every puddle, every uproot and every rock as she tried to keep her pace with Oga. who was still dragging her all the way to the deepest of the forest.

"O-oi, Oga! Slow down! You're hurting my wrist!"

But the man didn't slow down even a bit, let alone say anything to the furious young mother. However, he loosened his grip slightly, indicating that he heard what Hilda said. It irked her to not get any real response, but she tried to keep her composure. After she relaxed herself, she realized that she could feel Oga's erratic pulse from his fingers, somehow warm and cold at the same time. It resounded clearly inside her ears like the beat of a fragile drum.

After running around aimlessly for an hour—or so Hilda thought—she heard Oga's relieved sigh that escaped from his quivering lips upon spotting an old-looking cottage. Why a cottage was currently situated amidst a maze-looking forest did enter her mind though. "Maybe a hunter live here?" she hummed.

Oga let his feet shuffle faster, not minding that his shoes were being stained by muddy dirt puddles in every step he takes, while Hilda tried her best not to dirty her clothes but failed miserably. She groaned, babbling something along the lines of 'I have to do more laundry' or 'Damn! Forget it'.

The old cottage smelled of mildew. The wooden floor was worn and the walls were lined with blue wallpaper, albeit completely stained in a weird dark color. In the opposite room, she located two big rifles hanging horizontally on the upside wall, supporting Hilda's opinion that someone had lived in this place beforehand. The lack of furniture made the place look lonelier and more huge than it should have been. The poor lighting of the place, a few small light bulbs, made the environment feel even colder.

Realizing that Oga was still holding her wrist, Hilda's eyebrows furrowed and she finally snapped, "Oi, sewer-rat! Release me, now!"

And Oga listened this time. The brunette turned around, his silky, black bangs covering his orbs. His jaw tightened, forming a fine line on his sun-kissed face. Then, suddenly his arm pulled Hilda's body closer, embracing her into a secure and warm hug.

"O-Oga, what are you..." Oga's sudden action startled Hilda. The young mother's eyes widened to a degree and a small blush appeared on her cheeks. She began to sputter inaudible nonsense when the man enveloped her petite body like his life depended on it. Flipping her head to the side, her blush got bigger while her hand flailed frantically. She tried to talk to the stiff brunette and maybe coax him to release his hug when the situation turned more awkward and embarrassing as the time went by, but Oga beat her to it before she could say or protest about anything.

"..anks."

"Huh?"

Hilda could felt something wet drop onto her shoulder. Was Oga...crying? "Thank God..." His voice sounded remorseful, but she was able to catch a bit of relief in it. "Thank God you're safe, Hilda. You're safe. I didn't know what to do. I...I..."

"_I don't want to lose someone dear to me anymore!"_

And a large pang hit Hilda in the heart.

_This feeling_—Hilda held the hem of his clothes tightly. It was the same. It was just like at that time; when she met him for the first time, when he smiled so broadly, so sincerely at her, when he asked her out on date, when they had first started to go out and when he proposed to her, when he decided that he would stay by her side forever and ever. It was the same feeling that told her that everything was going to be absolutely alright and that she didn't have to worry about a single thing.

.

_It hurt._

_._

No, she wasn't prepared. She wasn't prepared for those feelings. Not again. She didn't know how to control the whirlwind of emotions that threatened to sink her again, after she had long forgotten about it. She felt glad, frustrated, confused, angered, mortified, excited, sad, everything in an insignificant span of time. And it hurt.

_Just like at that time._

_But..._

_._

In the middle of a small, old cottage, the only clear sound she could hear clearly was a melodic pitter-patter of the rain that soon turned into a heavy downpour, cooling the temperature down. And also maybe her speedy heartbeat (since when did it start raining? She didn't know. She was too engrossed in the emotions to normalize her erratic heartbeat, it made her forget about her surroundings momentarily). Slowly but surely, she raised her hands, grabbing Oga's clothes as she buried her face on his broad chest. The image that came to her mind when he smelled his clothes was of a peaceful sky. A vast sky with the sun irradiated the earth and was accompanied by some white clouds. She could also faintly smell grass and leaves, which made her imagine of a wide field full of trees. Although she always said that he smelled like a rat, she really didn't mind it. Actually, she liked it (but she would never, ever tell Oga about this).How he would come home drenched in sweat, his hair full of leaves. How he looked bathed under the sun's rays.

And his eyes. Those black, lifeless orbs looked so bored all the time, but she could see his bit of contentment and..._and happiness_ in the small, monotone life he lived right now. Just like him. Yes, just like her dear husband.

But...was it okay, though?

.

_Was it okay for me to fall in love again?_

_._

"Oga..." Hilda patted Oga's back lightly, demanding his attention. But the brunette didn't bother to raise his head, and that was when Hilda realized something was wrong. Oga's breath became labored, and his hands on her trembled slightly. A second after that, he lost his footing and his body slumped to the ground, dragging Hilda with him.

"O-Oga? Hey!" She violently shook him, but stopped when she felt something cold and sticky on her hand. It smelled like burnt iron. Then it hit her, as she remembered what kind of predicament Oga faced a couple of hours before he dragged her here; he fought with three strangers. She rolled up his shirt—Oga winced—revealing his bandages that were now sporting a new, fresh red liquid. He was hurt. _Badly_.

.

_"I don't want to lose someone dear to me anymore!"_

_._

Her mind suddenly went blank, watching as the liquid poured out, staining their clothes and the wooden floor. _No. No. Nononononononononono!_ This...this was her fault. _This is my fault!_ If she hadn't eavesdropped on Furuichi and Natsume's conversation that morning, if she hadn't gone to the forest, if the enemies (she knew that those strangers were enemies) hadn't spotted her, if she had just run away like that man—Toujou, she believed—told her to, this would have never happened. Oga had been injured, but he prioritized her safety first and ignored his well-being, his life!

"W-Wait. I-I can stop the bleeding." She tore her clothes off—she didn't care about it anymore. Oga's blood already stained her clothes and it would be a pain in the ass to wash it either way. She got rid of Oga's previous bandage and changed it with the new makeshift one. But it didn't help that much as the blood still sputtered out from his re-opened wound (or was it new? She didn't care!). "A-And now...w-what should I do?"

Damn it! She should have asked Alaindelon how to treat someone with a grave injury like this!

"Hey, you! What are you doing in my house?"

And Hilda's head whipped in the direction of the voice, looking at the looming shadow that stood in front of her. The stranger bored his dangerous, black orbs into her horrified, green eyes.  
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*****TBC*****

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_Don't forget to leave your review_

**Best Regards**

**Akabane Kazama**


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